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interest related specifically to the field of psychology.

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PSYC 101:

Guidelines for Research Project

For the completion of this
research project, students will have the option of constructing a four-to-six-page (4-6 page) research
paper either individually or in a group
(consisting of up to four students total). Each student/group will be required
to:

Identify at
least two (2) specific research studies that relate to your topic or person
of interest, being sure to address
findings that demonstrate beneficial or harmful outcomes relative to the
method/s of data collection, ethical concerns, and/or theoretical positions.

Apply at least
two (2) areas of diversity to your topic or person of interest within your paper. For instance, if you should choose
a topic such as eating disorders, give examples of how a person’s age, gender, race,
ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, education, ability/disability, etc.
might influence and/or contribute to this condition. If you should choose to
study a person in psychology, give examples of how their contributions either
affected or included people of a certain age, gender, race, ethnicity,
religion, socioeconomic status, education, ability/disability, etc.

Note:
Information presented that is specific to research studies or areas of
diversity may either be included in the general content of the paper or presented
in its own separate section of the paper. In either case, please be sure to
clearly identity information from both required areas.

All research projects will be due toward the end of the course
session on the specific date noted in Blackboard
(see Course Schedule). Any late projects (received any time after 11:59 p.m. on
the given due date) will be deducted by 5% for every “day” that it is late
(F.Y.I., all “days” conclude @ 11:59 p.m. and may include the weekends;
students are also reminded to review the syllabus policy on late assignments).

Where should I start?

To Begin:

Choose
your work preference.
You must first choose to either work
alone or with up to three other students (a total of two to four group
members, including yourself). Keep in mind that if you choose to work in a group, all group members will be
responsible for contributing to the project and will receive the same grade
accordingly.

Whether working
alone or in a group, all papers must follow the same format (see below under
“Paper Requirements”), and each
student must submit a separate copy of the SAME paper with ALL names listed on
the title page of the paper.

Select
your topic. Since psychology is such a broad field of study, there
is really no limit to what topic or person a student can explore. Bottom line,
if it deals with humans/animals, human behavior, and/or mental processes, then
it deals with psychology. You may also refer to the optional topics/persons
list below.

Familiarize
yourself with APA format. It is required that each student/group utilize 6th
edition APA styleto construct an insightful research paper
that cites and references work that is not one’s own (copy and paste into your
browser’s search box the following URL to see more on APA format— http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/664/01/).

Throughout your
research paper, you will be expected to follow specific guidelines for
developing headings, spacing, page numbers, etc., and you will be required to use
parenthetical citations (e.g., Smith, 2004) for each reference (or
resource) used to develop your
research (for more information, see “Specific Instructions for APA Style
Research” handout in Blackboard under the “Research-Related Materials” link). Since
all resources must be credible in content, please
refrain from using sources such as Wikipedia or student paper web sites.
If you have questions about a particular source, simply ask.

Construct
your paper. Refer to
“paper requirements” below.

PAPER REQUIREMENTS

Your paper should
be no more (or less) than four to six
(4-6) pages in length, not including the title and reference
pages (DO NOT INCLUDE
AN ABSTRACT). The paper should include the following:

identify
the specific themes that will be addressed throughout the paper in a
well-structured thesis statement.

Note: Please keep in mind that while this section of your paper
represents the introduction of your research, it is headed with the same title used on the title page of your paper.

Also, PLEASE DO NOT USE FIRST PERSON NARRATION AT
THIS POINT IN YOUR PAPER. The “Discussion/Conclusion” is the only section of
your paper in which you are permitted to either discuss the reason for your
choice of topic or use first person narration (e.g., “I,” “me,” “we,”
etc.). In all other sections of your
paper, use third person narration (e.g., “This research,” “he,” “she,” “they,”
etc.).

a detailed and insightful overview of the topic or person being
researched—this
section of your paper should consist of at
least two to three pages and should follow the guidelines below:

If researching a topic, such as “depression,”
you may choose to cover such areas as: diagnosis, prognosis, symptoms, effect,
risks, treatments, etc.

If researching a person, you may wish to
address the individual’s specific contributions to the field of Psychology as
well as outcomes of the contributions made?

Be sure to address at least two (2) specific
research studies and their findings as they relate to the topic or person
discussed (as is previously noted), and identify at least three (3) areas of
diversity that relate to your topic/person.

Note: Please keep in mind that while you have a great deal of
flexibility regarding the content you choose to cover, you have a limited
number of pages in which to cover that information; so select your content
wisely, being sure to incorporate those areas of content that are mandatory
above all else.

a closing paragraph summarizing the content of your paper—it is suggested that you use the heading
“Summary” to identify this section
of your paper. This is a major heading, so it should be centered.

a discussion/conclusion
section (possibly
identified by using the heading “Discussion”
or “Conclusion”—This is a major
heading, so it should be centered.) ALL
STUDENTS MUST ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS WHEN COMPLETING THE DISCUSSION
SECTION OF THE PAPER:

Why did you choose this particular topic
and how does it apply to you as an individual?

How does your topic relate to information
presented in the course/course text?

In
what ways can you apply information gained from this research to future
personal, academic, and/or career growth and development?

Text Citations (referencing the sources that you used in collecting your
data)—as previously noted, these
MUST be included within your paper to document borrowed material and to avoid
plagiarism (e.g., author’s last name (s) and year separated by a
comma–(Jordan, 2006) or shortened title of work and year separated by a
comma–(“Psychology”, 2007). Be sure to include page or paragraph
number if a direct quote is being cited (though
be sure not to overuse quotes—the paper should be more of a reflection of your
own words). The research paper, in essence, should include no more than
two (2) long quotes and five (5) short quotes. All other cited information
should be paraphrased—not directly copied and pasted word for word. Note: An overuse of quotes may result
in a significant loss of points—2 pts for every quote over the limit previously
noted within this handout. Also, please remember that all sources used
must be “credible,” meaning, DO NOT USE
SITES LIKE WIKIPEDIA. J

Reference
Page—a total of at least 3 sources, typed in APA format,
listed in alphabetical order, placed on
the very last page of your paper—this page gets a “page header” like all
subsequent pages, but it remains separate from all other pages; in other words,
nothing
else goes on this page except your references, and the centered heading at the
top of the page should read “References”
(a sample reference page is provided under the “Research-Related Materials” link in Blackboard). Note: You MAY use your text as a reference, but it will not be
included as one of the three required resources that you will need.

Reminder: Each reference listed on your
reference page MUST be cited at least once within your actual paper, and each
citation MUST be included in your reference list. Failure to do either is
considered plagiarism and will therefore result in a failing grade. More
specifically, as this assignment is a research project that requires
“documented research,” A
PAPER WITHOUT CITATIONS OR REFERENECS WILL AUTOMATICALLY EARN A ZERO—NO
EXCEPTIONS!

Other Things to Keep in Mind:

Please do not feel overwhelmed, or limited, by the information noted above. You may include as much or as little information as you feel is needed to express the main points of your research. Just keep in mind that too little data may exclude important information which may result in a loss of points, and too much data may be overkill. What’s most important is the quality of your work, not the quantity (though there is a page limit to keep in mind).

Please be aware that failure to submit
your paper in the format described above will result in a significant loss of
points. ALL elements of the paper must be included in order for your work to
receive the maximum number of points possible (65 points total). It is HIGHLY recommended that you read this
handout thoroughly and review all sample papers provided before attempting to
complete this assignment.